June 30 marked a milestone in the shared motorsports history of Total and Peugeot. Nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb conquered Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA. Dubbed “the race to the clouds,” Total and Peugeot worked with partners Red Bull and Michelin to take Loeb from 9,390 feet at the start to 14,110 feet at the finish line.
The Peugeot 208 T16 was packed with 875 horsepower and weighed 875 kg, equipped with big wings to maximize the aerodynamics effect. Loeb drove at an average speed of 145 km/h, going through Pikes Peak’s 156 turns and 12.42 miles (20 kilometers). The mythical race saw him shattering the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record with a time of 8 minutes and 13.878 seconds, besting Rhys Millen’s 9 minutes and 46.164 second set in 2012. Further, Loeb even beat his own practice run time of 8 minutes and 15 seconds on the Colorado mountain.
“I’m really happy as that was a very good run in the end,” said Loeb. “I really didn’t expect anything better than 8m15s, so to do 8m13s was fantastic. Before the start, I didn’t really know if I should push absolutely to the maximum or if I should just push to a comfortable pace, in order to make sure of the victory. In the end, I decided to push to the limit.”
